The Captain is back and better than ever.
Veteran Giants first baseman cracked up his teammates and fans alike last season, when he played a game at Wrigley Park with a captain’s ‘C’ patch made of electrical tape on his jersey during a game. Over the rest of the 2021 season, Belt’s alter ego of The Captain became a huge character in the clubhouse.
Before Friday’s Opening Day 6-5 win against the Miami Marlins, Belt had the ‘C’ back on his jersey. But he didn’t stop there.
The Giants brought out all the stops for Opening Day, as a truck towed a boat carrying Belt out of the gate down the left field line. He threw goodies into the crowd as the boat rolled toward the home dugout, before Belt leaped out and threw a ceremonial first pitch to manager Gabe Kapler.
Belt said he felt powerful while standing up and saluting the crowd.
“That was the main thing. I wanted to feel superior to everybody else,” Belt joked after the game. "When I got to come in a boat, I gotta say, I felt exactly that way."
Baseball folks often say there’s Opening Day and 161 other games and this is a great example why.
Belt carried that momentum into the game, as he bunted against the shift in the third inning. A bad throw on the play allowed Joey Bart to score all the way from first, as the Giants cashed in their first run of the season.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Belt snuck out a solo shot to right field and it's a good thing he did, because the run loomed large in the close victory.
"All I knew is I better do something today," Belt said. "You can’t come in on a boat and not do anything."
The Giants kept a tight lid on the pre-game ceremonies, because all of his teammates were caught off-guard by the one-man parade. But they all loved it and ate it up.
Even though Bart made his first Opening Day start and hit his first career dinger Friday, he said the lasting image from the game will be Belt perched atop his boat like a king.
"There is nothing you could forget about that moment," Bart said. "We were all laughing hysterically. The only thing I was thinking was, 'What do they think?' That was a legendary moment."
Considering Belt underwent thumb surgery that ended his season prematurely in 2021, it was a small victory for him to be out there on Opening Day. Get ready for another season with The Captain.
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